Hollande tells the US to stop eavesdropping on Europe

In a sharp escalation of the diplomatic stakes in the trans-Atlantic snooping row, Mr Hollande warned that the widening scandal could derail free-trade negotiations between the US and the European Union worth billions.

“We cannot accept this kind of behaviour from partners and allies,” he said on French television.

Reviewing the slow progress of talks on a plan for a free trade deal that would involve countries that make up around half of the world’s economy, he said: “We can only have negotiations, transactions, in all areas, once we have obtained these guarantees for France, but that goes for the whole European Union and…